


Prom Night

by Peggystormborn



Series: Every Time...A Karamel Anthology [32]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28032681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggystormborn/pseuds/Peggystormborn
Summary: Prom night is coming up at Midvale High. But Zora, unlike Allie, doesn't have a boyfriend...or even a date. Sounds like the perfect setup for some teen angst, and possible shenanigans...Meanwhile, Kara And Mon-El are starting to grapple with the fact that they're middle aged parents of a bunch of teenagers...but still look like twentysomethings. And the other parents in town have started to notice...
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Mon-El, Lex Luthor Jr. (DCEU)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Every Time...A Karamel Anthology [32]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1092399
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Prom Night

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's been so long, guys! The pandemic has been really draining: turns out working full time while stuck with a couple toddlers and a middle schooler is a LOT of work, and my muse abandoned me. Then I started a much longer WIP, couldn't get any traction on it, and finally had to start a couple others to get the creative juices flowing. But Daisy Johnson and Peggy Carter finally lit a fire under my butt, which helped give me some momentum to get this story finished. Now I just have to figure out the multi chapter mcu crossover I'm working on, yikes!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! 
> 
> P.S. - I know it's December and this isn't Xmas themed, I had to follow the muse guys! But if you want go ahead and pretend it's a holiday dance instead of prom.

"Zor, just _go_ already." Allie rolls her eyes at her little sister as they both stand in front of their respective lockers. She takes a deep breath, checking her makeup in the small plastic mirror she keeps on the inside of the door. "He's just a boy. He does homework, he plays basketball, he puts on his pants one leg at time like everyone else. All you have to do is walk up to him and ask."

Not one to be outdone, Zora steps up her own eye rolling game. "Easy for you to say. You've got a boyfriend."

"And do you think I got him by standing around doing nothing?"

"You got him because you're hot and boys do anything you want as soon as you bat your stupid big blue eyes at them."

"Oh, stop," Allie grumps. "You know that's not true. And friendly reminder we have the exact same stupid blue eyes."

"It's totally true. And we do not have the same eyes. I mean they're the same color yeah but... you're the only one that looks like mom. I look like a mousy-haired muppet."

"No you don't. You look like Grandma."

"Comparing me to a Grandma isn't much of a compliment and also...it's _really_ weird that you call her that."

"Why? She was our grandmother."

"Our _evil_ grandmother who killed a bunch of people, including our grandfather. You know...before she tried to murder mom and had to be put down like a dog."

Allie shrugs, belying the seriousness of Zora's entirely accurate recreation of the events leading up to their grandmother's not-so-untimely death. "Yeah, well…I didn't say you had her personality. Just her facial features. And despite being the actual worst, she was freaking gorgeous."

"...I guess..."

"Look, Zor…don't tell Xander I said this but you're a catch. You're super smart, and funny...in your own way anyway, and when you remember to run a comb through your hair you're actually quite pretty. So stop selling yourself short, woman up and go ask Kyle Ziegler to prom. Okay?"

Zora sighs and gazes up at the ceiling. "...I hate you." 

"No you don't. Now hurry up before the bell rings."

The younger Danvers closes her eyes, inhales deeply, and walks over to a dark haired boy in a blue and white jersey. 

Allie watches her sister with bated breath until she feels a tap on her shoulder. 

"Xander, you don't have to do that," she says without turning towards him. "I could hear you coming a mile away."

"Really? Is your superhearing coming in?" her brother whispers, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leans in conspiratorially.

"Why would I need superhearing? Those ratty old boots of yours squeak all the way down the hall and you clomp like an elephant. I can't believe you haven't broken the floor yet."

"Who says I haven't? They never did say why the gym was closed last week."

"Don't be cute, they just had the basketball court waxed."

"Did they? Did they _really_?" he mock-glares at his elder sibling before wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. Allie, in typical fashion, ignores her brother's antics and continues glancing with concern at her other sibling. "Speaking of basketball," Xander moves on with a shrug. "Why is Zor talking to Kyle?"

"She's asking him to prom."

" _Oh_." His voice drops. "Um…I heard he was hooking up with Jackson Pierce."

"Wait, is he gay?" 

"Yeah, I think so. But Zor is bi, so maybe…"

"That's not how it _works_ , dumbass!

"Oh...right…um…"

Just then Zora returns, red-faced, slams her locker shut without a word, and heads off to class just as the bell rings. 

"Someone should talk to her," Xander gulps heavily and the two of them watch her go. 

"Like her twin maybe?" Allie side-eyes him. 

"Or her older, wiser, super awesome big sis?"

"She's already jealous I have a date when she doesn't. And you're going stag, too, so…"

"Yeah...um, about that...I kinda just asked Jenny and she said yes...so…"

"... _damn_ it." 

********

"Honey, it's not that big a deal," Kara says to her youngest daughter in that saccharine motherly tone she's perfected that flirts heavily with condescension. "I went to prom by myself when I was your age, and I had a great time!"

"Didn't you break a bunch of some guy's toes?" her husband wonders absently, before shoveling down a forkful of mashed potatoes. 

Kara's own fork clatters down on her plate as she crosses her arms and glares at him. "Only three toes. Three does not constitute a bunch. And that's not the point, the point is that there's nothing wrong with going with your friends."

"What friends?" Zora shrugs bitterly. "The only people at school I hang out with are Brady and Devon and they're going with each other."

"Well, what's the problem with tagging along?" Kara smiles at her in a way that makes Zora want to fry her mom with her recently-emerged heat vision. Not that that would work, even if she tried, since her mom is invulnerable.

"I'm not gonna third wheel crash someone else's date," she complains, poking her meatloaf with a spoon. "Whatever, I'll just skip it. At least I won't have to buy a dress."

Mon-El perks up at this, though his face falls with disappointment. "But I was looking forward to taking you two shopping…" he pouts. 

"Dad," Allie groans. "I know you get a weird kick out of seeing us dressed up like princesses, but can you just... _not_ right now?"

"Sorry, you're right," he course-corrects. "Zor, honey…what if we got Conner to take you?"

"Are you out of your _mind_?!" She recoils in genuine horror. "I'm not going to prom with my _cousin_!" she practically shrieks, pushing back from the table and not-so-politely muttering her excuses as she flees upstairs to her room. 

"What?" Mon-El looks around at the rest of his family. "What did I say?"

"Oof…good going, Dad," Xander snipes. 

"Yeah, uh…suggesting social suicide was maybe not the most constructive approach," John says diplomatically.

"Wh... _oh_." Mon-El knits his eyebrows together, and he sits back heavily against the back of his chair. "Guess that would be...uncool?"

"Yeah, love, I think it's already kind of an issue that we're chaperoning," Kara adds, with a slight cringe. 

" _Kind_ of an issue?" Xander asks incredulously, staring bug-eyed at his mother.

"What?" Kara balks. "Come on, they needed volunteers, and Lydia from the PTA has been _really_ passive aggressive lately about how we're always bailing on school functions."

"It's not like you don't have good reasons," Xander grumps. "Like, you know, saving the world and stuff."

"Well, _she_ doesn't know that," Kara says, stating the obvious.

"Honestly? You volunteering for prom duty isn't really the problem," John offers. 

"Uh, I'm pretty sure it _is_ ," Xander replies with confusion. "Having our mommy and daddy at prom? May as well stamp the word 'Loser' on our foreheads."

John glares for a moment and then returns his attention to his parents. "No, it's just…a lot of these parents have known our family since we moved here when we were little. Which was like twelve years ago. And I'm pretty sure they're starting to notice that you two…you know, haven't _aged_."

"Oh." Kara and Mon-El glance uncomfortably at each other. "Well…I've tried to dress a little more maturely," Kara argues. 

"Wearing old lady clothes just makes it worse. On _multiple_ levels," Xander snarks. "And to be honest, mom, the turtleneck cardigan combos are not doing you any favors."

Kara stares daggers at her son, but can't really argue.

"Well, we've tried the image inducers," Mon-El explains, ignoring the insult. "But…they just don't work that well for aging up, and plus…there's a risk in interrupting the field when people get too close. And Principal Flenderson is...a _hugger_."

"Ugh, _yeah_ she is," Xander commiserates.

John nods in agreement with his father's assessment. "Well, Allie is gonna be graduating in a year, and I'll be moving up to high school. Everyone thinks we're adopted, so that helps. We can probably get away with a few more years of doing this, hopefully long enough for me to graduate and go to college, but…after that…"

The silence that descends upon their formerly-jovial dinner is punctuated only by the sound of Xander's chair squeaking as he shifts in his seat to reach for the bowl of mashed goodness on the other side of the table. 

"What?" he shrugs at the rest of the family's withering stares trained upon him as he piles his plate with seconds. "Uncomfortable family discussions make me hungry."

"Look," Kara sighs at length, rolling her eyes at her progeny. "I acknowledge this is a problem, but it's gonna take some time and effort to figure it out. Can we get back to what to do about Zora?"

"I've got it handled," Allie says firmly, finally joining the conversation. "Or rather... _we_ do." 

"Yeah, we have a plan," her boyfriend, A.J.--also known as the estranged son of Lex Luthor--says grumpily from the far end of the table, reminding the rest of the family that he's been here this whole time. "A _terrible_ plan, but a plan nonetheless."

"It's not terrible. It'll work," Allie turns to him with annoyance. 

"It just sucks for literally everyone involved, that's all."

"Can you stop? I'm tired of having this argument. I know what I'm doing, okay? Can you just trust me?" 

"Fine, just…do what you want. Look, I gotta get home, Lena wants to have yet another chat about what I should major in. Excuse me, everyone, and thanks very much for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Danvers."

"Wait…I'll walk you out," Allie awkwardly trots after him as he heads towards the front door. 

The family absently waves good-bye as he goes, and Mon-El takes the opportunity to retrieve the chocolate cake he'd prepared for their dessert. As the boys set out plates and forks and Kara pours them all glasses of milk from the fridge, they hear a ruckus from the driveway, and hustle outside one by one to see what's going on. 

"Look, I can't, Allie. I just _can't_." A.J. stands there red-faced, motorcycle helmet in one hand and the other on the handle of his bike. 

"Baby, this is stupid. We can talk it out, I _know_ we can," Allie pleads. 

"What's the point?" he shrugs. "We've _been_ talking. And nothing changes."

"So we try harder."

"That's what people say when there's nothing _left_ to try."

"A.J. please, don't do this." 

"I'm not doing anything. It is what it is, Allie."

"And what's that?" Her voice cracks despite the audible bite on her tone. "What _is_ this, A.J.?" 

He sighs loudly. "The end of the road."

With that, he hops on his bike and takes off, leaving Allie to tearfully watch him go, before high tailing it back into the house.

Kara and Mon-El look at each other, hearts aching for her eldest child. Xander and John wear similar masks of sympathy on their faces, as they slowly file back inside. 

As she heads back up the driveway, Kara looks up and notices Zora watching from her upstairs window. Until the curtain closes and the lights turn off. 

"So which problem do we tackle first?" she asks her husband flippantly. 

"None of them, honey," he sighs. "These are all things the kids need to work out on their own."

"Damn it. I hate when you're right," she groans.

"Well, lucky for you it doesn't happen that often."

"Ha, ha. Now come on, I think that chocolate cake is very much in order."

********

They strut down what appears to be a red carpet, arm in arm, toward the old gymnasium, just as Kara remembers it from when she was young, waiting outside to walk Alex home from basketball practice. 

"Well, _there_ you are!" Principal Flenderson squeals, trotting over to Kara and Mon-El, who plaster fake ear to ear grins on their faces at her approach, bracing themselves for the inevitable hug attack. "About time we got our hooks into the two of you!" the older woman says when she pulls back. "I suspect credit goes to Lydia, huh? She ropes in _all_ the Midvale High parents eventually!"

" _That_ she does," Mon-El mock-chuckles. "And we would know all about rope since we're always so tied up…"

Kara winces at his poor attempt at humor. "I think what my husband means to say is we know we haven't always been first in line to sign up for volunteer slots, since both our jobs are so demanding, but…we're _very_ happy to be here. Finally."

"Right, you're a reporter...is that it?" she asks Kara. 

"Yes, and my husband here is an FBI agent." 

"Oh, that's right! How exciting. And your boss is your sister-in-law, is that correct? Guess law enforcement runs in the family! Not that surprising given the stuff Alex used to get into when she was young."

"Uh…yeah," Mon-El raises an eyebrow at her line of questioning. "Wh...where did you hear that, though?" 

"Are you _kidding_? In a little town like this, the gossip mill is all we have! And the Danvers family is a _frequent_ topic of discussion!"

"We...we _are_?" Kara chuckles nervously. 

"Well…I know you two tend to keep to yourselves, but…there's been _plenty_ of speculation, that's for sure!" 

"Oh?" Kara squeaks. "Well, um…it's not _nearly_ as glamourous as it sounds."

"Yeah," Mon-El attempts to corroborate. "We both just have desk jobs, really. Lots of paperwork." 

"...But we're _busy_!" Kara backtracks a little, remembering that their respective professions are their go-to excuse for repeated failures to participate in bake sales and parent teacher meetings and whatnot. "You know…weird hours, but always lots of work to get done." 

Principal Flenderson, perhaps well-trained over her many years in sniffing out bullshit offered by young and old alike, looks rather unimpressed by this, staring them down as though examining a clearly-plagiarized essay. "Well," she sighs at length. "I guess you two would know all _about_ getting work done. Excuse me." And with that, she pivots away from them and heads off towards another cluster of chaperones.

They look at each other, bewildered, as she goes. 

"What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?" Mon-El finally asks. 

"I...have no idea…" Kara says under her breath.

"Are you two all right?" A red-headed woman sidles up, wearing a dress that's slightly too low cut for a school function, and giving off a somewhat pungent cloud of whiskey fumes. 

"Oh, hey Lydia," Kara says half-heartedly shying away just a little from the booze cloud now enveloping them. "We're fine, just...Principal Flenderson said something odd about us having work done, and we couldn't quite…"

"...NO! Did she _really_?!" the slightly tipsy soccer mom interrupts, as they watch her tuck a small flask back into her purse. "I mean I've always wondered, but I just didn't have the balls myself…" 

"Lydia, what on _Earth_ are you talking about?" Kara stops her acquaintance from continuing. 

"Wh...well, we've just all...uh…we've been trying to guess where you got your work done." 

"What work?" 

Lydia rolls her eyes. "Oh _come_ on. Don't make me say it." 

"Say...what?" Mon-El inquires, flummoxed. 

"It's just…" she leans in and whispers. "Everyone wants to know who does all your plastic surgery!"

"Our _WHAT_?!" Kara takes a step back, as though trying to avoid a small explosion. 

"It's okay, no judgment! But I mean…let's be real, you two could both pass for under thirty, and you've got to be closer to forty by now, right? I mean Kara, look at your skin, you look like a damn porcelain doll. And what I wouldn't give to be able to eat the way I've seen you eat and never put on weight! Not to mention you both look like models, just saying…we've _all_ put two and two together. Whoever your doctor is, you two are obviously keeping them in _business_!" she titters like a bird and slaps Kara's arm playfully, but hard enough it would have probably caused a bruise if she weren't indestructible. 

"Lydia…" Kara starts. 

"What?" the woman does an exaggerated shrug. "They did a fantastic job, honey! No one would ever know if you two weren't raising a bunch of teenagers! Though you _might_ want to amp up the Botox next time for that little crinkle there…" she points to Kara's forehead.

"Uh...Lydia…we don't, ummm..." Kara stammers, gently batting Lydia's finger away.

"...We don't really like to talk about it. Excuse us, we have to go make sure no one's spiked the punch." Mon-El grabs his wife by the arm and drags her off to a more secluded corner of the gym, as their acquaintance shrugs and pulls out the flask once more.

"What are you _doing_?" She thinks we're a couple of... _nip/tuck_ addicts! Like on those weird reality shows!"

"Good!" he grabs both her arms both to reassure her and prevent her from marching back and defending herself against the allegations. "Better that than the truth!" 

"I...but… _damn_ it!" she deflates. "...Fine, you're right. Ugh. It's just…it feels so degrading."

"And ironic, considering we both have invulnerable skin. But I think that's part of the deal raising kids with a secret identity."

Kara groans. "Remind me again why we had four of them? It's going to take _forever_ to get them all to move out of the house so we can stop coming to stuff like this."

"Hey, I was up for a fifth, but you said no."

"Not sure our poor house could withstand any more super children. They've literally put holes in every single wall at one point or another."

He grunts lightly in response. "So...what are we gonna do?"

"About...what? The kids?"

"No, about our aging problem."

"I...have no idea. I guess at some point we're...going to need new identities."

"I...guess we could be Matthewses. Instead of Danverses."

"...We'd have to change cities."

"...Sell the house." 

"And...Catco…my career. I'd have to start all over under a new name."

"Have you talked to Clark about this?" 

"No." She looks down at her black heels, fidgeting with her hands. "It's...a sensitive subject. For him." 

Mon-El nods at his wife dolefully, mirroring her subdued demeanor. Clark's predicament of course is far more serious than theirs. After all, his own wife is human, aging at a normal rate. Whereas he...isn't. The Kent clan had moved back home to Smallville, she suspects in part at least to cope with this problem. Although Lois still looked pretty good for a woman in her 50s, Clark couldn't realistically pass any more. They'd been able to keep their jobs at the Daily Planet by telecommuting from the farm back home, but Kara wonders how long they could possibly keep that up. Are they just living as hermits in the middle of Kansas? Surely, there must be a few raised eyebrows among their friends and neighbors. Those Dorian Gray jokes stop being funny at some point, don't they? Although it's possible his alien identity is more of an open secret in that small town of his. I mean after all the shenanigans he got into when he was young, how could everyone _not_ have figured it out by now?

She takes a moment to thank Rao for sending her someone she can grow old with, even if the logistics of that are inconvenient at times. 

"Maybe…we could move to the fortress. At some point, I mean." She looks at him with a slight cringe.

"Awfully lonely up there. And the cell service sucks." 

"Or...we could make a new fortress somewhere. Off the coast or whatever." 

"You do like your ocean views…"

"Look, we don't have to figure this out now. We have a few years. Right?" 

"Yeah," Mon-El musters a smile. "We have time." 

"And right now, I think it's time to dance!" Kara pulls herself together and wraps her arms around his neck. They may have some big stuff to deal with, and teenagers to chaperone, but a little slow dancing never hurt anyone…

********

"It hurts," Allie squeaks from the back seat of the luxury car they're riding in, which has just parked outside their school. "So much." 

"I know," Zora rubs her sister's shoulder. "But come on. Tonight's not about him. So let's try and have fun, huh?" 

"Is she...gonna be okay?" Jenny Carter not-too-discreetly whispers to Xander. 

"Yeah," he reassures. "It's cool, now come on, let's go see if they have those little wrapped up hot dog thingies on the appetizer table." 

"You mean pigs in blankets?" Jenny raises an eyebrow.

"Sure, uh, whatever." Xander side-eyes his date and helps her climb out of the limo. 

Zora rolls her eyes and follows, with Allie taking up the rear. They enter the makeshift ballroom, basketball hoops removed to make room for copious decorations: blue and white balloons, paper lanterns, shiny silver stars hanging from the ceiling. 

Allie sighs, and follows the rest of their party over to the refreshment table. 

" _Ohhhhh!_ " Xander gasps, while piling an absurd amount of food onto a small plastic cocktail plate. " _That's_ why they're called pigs in blankets. I get it now."

"Do you wanna, like, dance?" Zora asks her sister. 

"Sure, if you want," the elder Danvers replies. "But, um...maybe when something faster comes on. Not really up for slow dancing with my sister, especially when our parents are being all kissyface over there." She indicates the discreet corner where Kara and Mon-El are swaying gently while gazing into each other's eyes. 

"Oh. Gross." Zora nonchalantly turns away, heading towards the punch bowl. 

"Are you really gonna keep this up all night?" Xander whispers to Allie when Zora steps away.

"Yes. And so are you. Now go have fun with your date." 

"Okay, it's just...this all seems so stupid." 

"I'm the oldest. I'll decide what's stupid." 

"...Because of your extensive expertise on the subject of stupidity?"

"Well I've had _your_ dumb ass as a test subject for fifteen years, so I guess that's accurate. Now go away."

Xander mock-salutes, and heads to find a table around the edge of the venue for them to claim, setting his plate down and taking off his tux jacket to drape over the back of a chair. Only then does he realize he's forgotten his date near the chocolate fountain, and rushes back to help her fish a strawberry out of it, before escorting her to their destination.

"I got you a Shirley Temple," Zora meanders back over towards her sister, handing her a glass full of fizzy cherry-hued goodness. "Hey, it matches your dress." 

Allie chuckles while glancing down at her signature color. Red. She's been a sucker for it since she was a child, always in awe of the way her mother's beautiful cape flutters in the wind. 

Zora, being Zora, opted for black. Which made it all the more ironic that she, with her matching dark hair and makeup, ended up being the cheery one this evening. 

Eventually some Lady Gaga starts blaring over the speakers, so Zora drags her sister out on the floor, and before long they're both singing along and doing their signature moves they've perfected from years of two-person dance parties in the basement.

"Aw, look at them," Kara coos from the other side of the gym.

"I know," Mon-El smiles as he wraps his arms around her from behind and gazes over at their youngsters. "I love that no matter what, they're always there for each other. Like you and Alex." 

"Yeah," Kara concurs. "Or you and Eltro." 

He hums his agreement, before noticing a small gaggle on the opposite end of the dance floor, who appears to be snickering in their direction. 

"Um, Kara?" he asks. 

"Hm?" she responds absentmindedly. 

"Are Lydia and those guys over there...are they still talking about us? They keep glancing over here." 

"Wha…" Kara's eyebrows knit together, and she tilts one super-ear toward the throng of other chaperones, struggling to tune out the musical cacophony of the party.

"Oh my GOD," she says after a moment, whipping around towards him so they don't see the look of shock on her face. "They...they think we're…" 

"What?" 

"Supergirl and Valor…" she struggles through gritted teeth and her eyes bug out as she speaks, causing his alarm level to rise. "... _GROUPIES_!!" 

"Wh…" He cocks his head at her in confusion. "What the hell does _that_ mean?" 

She doesn't immediately answer, but tugs his arm toward the back exit of the gym, before pulling him outside and shutting the heavy steel door behind them. 

"They think," Kara says, with quickly-growing huffiness, "that not only did we both have plastic surgery to look younger, but that we _specifically_ got plastic surgery to look like…them!" 

"Who?" 

"Us!" 

"What?" 

Kara emits a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream and for a moment he worries smoke might actually start coming out of her ears, or worse, heat beams from her eyes. "They think that we, Kara and Mike, told our ' _surgeon_ '"--she makes exaggerated air quotes at this--"to make us _look_ like Supergirl and Valor!"

Mon-El stares blankly at her for a moment, before erupting in a fit of laughter, which he attempts unsuccessfully to swallow when it becomes evident his wife does not find this even a little funny. 

"I'm glad our family humiliation is amusing for you," she says when she manages to get her voice under control, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him with near-rage. 

"Come here, Kara Danvers," he wraps his arms around her, and with faux reluctance she leans into his embrace. "You are the most beautiful woman here or anywhere else tonight, and if it makes them feel better to make up stories about how you got that way, then I say let them."

Kara huffs out a puff of breath, with slightly too much oomph, causing a nearby tree to shake a little from the shock wave. "I guess," she concedes, "that maybe it's not the _worst_ thing they went to the trouble of making up a cover story for us. Even if it is...mortifying."

Mon-El gives her a wry smile. "If it buys us some time to get John through high school, then I say lean into it."

Kara continues to grumble, but relents somewhat. "...I...suppose I can, hypothetically, I dunno, order one of those custom cell phone covers with the House of El glyph on it." 

"We could buy the crappiest super-duo Halloween costumes we can find for next year," he smiles at her. 

She chuckles. "I'll get one of those terrible plastic barbie hair wigs."

"I can start wearing red shirts more often, and you can go shopping for capes. One of Allie's fashion magazines said they were going to be the hot new trend for fall, just saying…" 

"Why are you reading Allie's magazines?" 

"Hey, prom dress shopping is a responsibility I take very seriously."

"Aww," she melts and pulls him in for a kiss. "I'm so glad you're the father of my kids," she says when she breaks away. 

"How in the _hell_ have you two never gotten caught?" a voice from the darkness nearby pierces their bubble of lovey-doveyness. 

"Wh…" Kara startles back from her husband. "Who...A.J.? Is that you?" 

The young man they now realize has been an involuntary party to their conversation steps away from the motorcycle he'd been leaning on and into the lone utility light illuminating the alley behind the gym. 

"Yeah, it's me," he shrugs, hands in his pockets. "Figured I better say something before you two...you know." 

Kara looks at Mon-El, and the tinge of lipstick he's now sporting. "Sorry...I guess we should have been more careful."

"Wait...what are you doing here?" Mon-El wonders. "Didn't you and Allie break up?" 

"Uh…" he rubs the back of his neck. "Not exactly. We sort of staged the fight." 

"What?" Kara wonders. "Why would you do that?"

"I wasn't crazy about the idea, but...Allie thought it was the only way she could get Zora…" 

"...To go with her to the dance," Kara finishes, looking at her husband with a mixture of pride and concern. 

"...Never let it be said we didn't raise some clever kids," Mon-El says, "Even if they're a little sneaky and underhanded about it." 

"Yeah, well, maybe a little _too_ clever," A.J. says. 

"What do you mean?" Kara wonders. 

As if on cue, their younger daughter emerges from the gym door. 

"Oh, hey," she says, without any perceptible surprise. 

"Zora, what's going on here?" Kara wonders.

"I sussed out Allie's dumb plan" she shrugs. "I texted him an hour ago and told him to put on a tux and meet me here. Lucky he's a Luthor, I think Aunt Lena's bought him like five tuxes." 

"Only three," the boy mutters, hands in his pockets.

Sure enough, Kara now notices that under his motorcycle jacket, the young man is dressed to the nines, like a teenage James Bond. 

"How did you figure it out?" Mon-El wonders to his daughter.

"Are...are you _kidding_? It's not like this is the first time Allie's manipulated me into participating in a social function. Remember her dragging me to Girl Scouts? Heather Rothschild's pool party? Hell, she very nearly got me to join the _cheerleading_ squad…" Zora shudders at this. 

"Why didn't you just tell her you knew?" Kara wonders. 

Zora shrugs. "It makes her happy. And...I mean, I guess I... _did_ have fun. If I'm being honest. So maybe her dumb plan wasn't so dumb. Which...now that I think about it, was probably exactly the point of all this." She shakes her head with amusement, curls bouncing. 

Kara steps forward and wraps her arms around her child, while Mon-El smiles at the pair of them, before giving them both a kiss to the side of their heads.

"Umm…" A.J. says a little awkwardly. "Can I…?" 

"Oh!" Zora startles. "Yeah, she's in there. Feel free to go surprise her. Or not…knowing her she probably expected me to call you." She crosses her arms and chuckles lightly.

"Thanks," he nods, and takes his leave. 

"So now what?" Mon-El asks Zora. "Do you want me to take you home?" 

"Nah, I mean…I'm _here_ and all. And I'm pretty sure Xander's date is already bored with his lameass jokes, so…" she turns to go inside, followed by her parents. "Wait…" she's stops them. "Just...hold up for like five minutes, will you? I don't want anyone to think I was hanging out back here with my parents on prom night. That's just...weird." 

They nod their agreement, and watch as the door closes behind her. 

"So…" Kara asks coyly. "What, uh...should we do for five whole minutes?" 

"Well," Mon-El shrugs. "I mean I've already messed up your lipstick…" 

She giggles as his lips descend on hers. 

********

Sometime after midnight, Kara wakes...with _that_ feeling. The one all parents know. The inexplicable knowledge that somehow, something isn't quite right with your child. 

She gets up, puts on a robe, and heads down to the kitchen. Nothing seems amiss, until she realizes the back door is cracked open. She goes outside, and sure enough, Allie is there, sitting facing away from the house on the swing set where she and her siblings used to play for hours and hours when they were little. 

"Couldn't sleep?" she asks as she approaches from behind and settles into the other swing. 

"Nope," comes the expected reply. 

"That was a really nice thing you did for Zora tonight. Not to mention smart."

"Thanks." 

"I'm…I'm _really_ proud of you, do you know that?"

"I know."

"...Allie...are you okay?" 

"...Sure."

"Well, then why are you giving me the shortest answers possible to everything I ask?"

Allie looks up at her mother at last, and Kara sees that tears have been streaming down her face. "Oh, baby, what is it? What's wrong?"

"...I...I didn't just do this for Zora." 

"What do you mean?" 

"...A.J. got into Oxford." 

"He did?" Kara smiles. "I can't believe Lena didn't tell me! Well, that's wonderf... _oh_." Her face falls as she realizes. 

"...Yeah." 

"So he'll be…"

"...Five thousand four hundred and sixty-two miles away. I looked it up." 

"Honey, it'll be okay. If you two want to stay together, I'm sure you'll figure it out." 

"Everyone thinks that. But Mom, how many people do you know that ended up with their high school sweetheart?" 

Kara just shakes her head sadly in reply. 

"I…sort of thought of this as...as practice. For when things fall apart for real." 

Kara sighs. "Maybe you _are_ a bit too clever for your own good." 

"What?" 

"Nothing. Never mind." 

Allie sighs and puts her hands over her face, her elbows propped up in her knees. She makes no noise, yet somehow Kara can tell her tears have started to fall again.

"I'm here for you," Kara says as she leans over and puts an arm around her daughter. 

"I know." 

They sit there in silence for a long time, before Kara finally speaks again. "You know…your Dad and I spent a lot of years apart before we finally found our way back to each other."

"Yeah," Allie croaks. "I've heard this story." 

"Okay. But when we tell it, I bet you guys assume that deep down, we knew in our hearts that we'd be together again someday. Like it was a fait accompli." 

"Wasn't it? I mean, that Music Meister guy was the one that got you back together, right? Didn't he say you were, like, each other's destiny?" 

"Yes, but we didn't know that during the time we were apart."

"Mom...what are you saying?"

"I'm saying… And I know this is going to sound weird coming from me since hope is kind of my bread and butter, but...it's okay to feel hopeless sometimes. Maybe you'll find your way back to each other and maybe you won't. But…I promise there's more happiness coming in your future. Okay?" 

"Okay." 

"...Do you need a little more time out here?" 

"...No, I'll go back to bed. And...thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, baby." Kara hugs her daughter tightly and walks her back upstairs. Then she slips back into her own bedroom, and climbs under the covers with her husband. 

He rolls over and spoons her, kissing the back of her neck. "Is she all right?" he whispers. Apparently she's not the only one with a sixth sense for teenage angst. 

"She will be," Kara replies. 

"Okay, that's good," he yawns, snuggling closer. 

"Mon-El?" Kara asks. 

"Yeah?" He perks his head up a little. 

"We're not selling this house one _second_ before we absolutely have to. I don't care how many idiotic rumors the townies make up about us."

She can feel his lips smiling as they settle back against the skin where her shoulder meets her neck. "All right, my love." 

"...I wonder what we'll look like when we're old and grey." 

"In like seven hundred years, you mean?" 

"Yeah." 

"You'll still be the most beautiful woman in town. Or in the universe, for that matter," he murmurs into her hair.

"And you'll still be trying to get laid, apparently," she snarks.

"Hey," he muses, inching closer to her and kissing her neck with more purpose, "I mean, if you're offering…" 

Kara flops over and playfully considers this. "Hmm…well, it _is_ prom night after all…"

"Is there a cultural reference there I'm not awar…mmmph…" his question is cut off by a rather forceful kiss from a rather impatient and extremely strong woman...who happens to look an awful lot like Supergirl.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks got reading guys! Hope you liked it!


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